Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
For some years I’ve used the little phrase ‘a fingerprint of God’ to describe something that we SEE that can only be explained as a direct work of Almighty God, in our world. I try to live alert each day, watching for those ‘fingerprints of God’, what about you?
The apostle Paul claims that a Christian person, ANY authentic Christian, of any age, anywhere in the world, qualifies to be seen as a ‘fingerprint of God’, did you know that? Let’s take a closer look today…
Paul wrote this to the Christians in Corinth: “If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself through Christ, not counting people’s sins against them…” (2 Cor. 5:17-19)
Oh, my friends, this is one of the most powerful statements about you and me in the entire Bible. Do you see how it qualifies us to be seen as living ‘fingerprints of God’?
First… I’m sure you agree that each person is a unique, wonderful, miraculous creation of God, made in God’s image, right?
But when any person repents of their sin, and trusts Jesus Christ to save them from their sin, God unleashes IN that person a long list of amazing, miraculous spiritual works. Those miracles transform that person into a different person! That’s why Paul wrote, that genuine Christians are NEW Creations IN Christ!
Yes, Jesus called it “born again” (John 3:3-7) and this second birth is just as miraculous as our first birth! Our re-creation spiritually is just as much a work of God as our initial creation in our mother’s womb, did you know that? You might even say a Christian is therefore a living DOUBLE “Fingerprint of God”!
Second... Do you see Paul’s radical statement that: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:18)
Yes, my friends, it is very important we understand this is ALL, every bit of it, a miraculous work of God. We cannot save ourselves! Like a drowning person we cry out for God’s help to save us, as we thrash around drowning in our sin. And then God does the entire work of rescuing us from our sin condemnation and sin bondage! (Eph. 2:8,9) But did you know there is more… much, much more?
Do you see Paul used the word RECONCILE? We all understand reconcile, don’t we? I’m sure there have been several times in your life and mine when relationships were fractured but through apology and forgiveness a torn relationship was reconciled and restored. Do you remember a time that happened for you? It is a wonderful miracle of the soul, isn’t it?
Oh, maybe we ask: WHY do we need reconciling with God? It’s because we, each and all of us, have turned away from God from the time we were little children. Our sinfulness has been taking us further and further away from HOLY God each day! And there is NO way for any person to RESTORE their severed relationship with God.
God designed us for a wonderful, sinless relationship with Him, but we humans have rebuffed and rejected God’s design. The ONLY way back to God… is for our sin to be TOTALLY removed! But we can’t do that! Only Jesus… sinless, perfect God the Son, can remove our sin guilt! Do you understand THAT is what Jesus accomplished for us as He hung on the cross? (Is. 53) Do you understand HOW?
HOW did Jesus get our sin piled on HIM? Have you thought about that? 650 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem the Holy Spirit led the prophet Isaiah to describe it this way: “Surely He [Jesus Christ] took up our pain and bore our suffering…the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all…for He bore the sin of many…” (Isaiah 53:4,6,12) Do you see Jesus willingly received all our sin as God piled our sin upon His Holy Son!
Paul explains it in this same 2 Corinthians letter, chapter 5, verse 21: “God made Him [Jesus Christ] who had no sin to BE sin for us…” Oh my! It means Almighty, Holy, God the Father, piled ALL the sins of humanity, from ALL time, upon Jesus as He hung on the cross. There was so much sin and that sin is so horrible, that Jesus was FULLY immersed in our evil. Can you even imagine that?
THEN God poured out His justice wrath on that sin and on His own Son who was immersed in that evil! No chapter in the Bible describes that scene more graphically than Isaiah 53 and I urge you to read it carefully. As you do, remember that YOUR sin and mine was part of that sin pile in which Jesus was immersed!
Even as I declare that, I quickly admit I can’t fully comprehend it. I’ve been there. I’ve looked at that hillside outside the Damascus gate of Jerusalem, and I still can’t fully wrap my mind and heart around the significance of this remarkable, horrific scene of God’s judgment upon His Son, immersed in my sin and yours.
But as Jesus experienced God’s FULL punishment for our SIN, God was preparing to do something just as dramatic, do you know what it is? God was preparing to raise Jesus from the dead and restore Jesus to His Kingship, His Holy reign! And then, in Jesus Christ’s victory over sin, Satan and death, God is able to RECONCILE repentant sinners like you and me back to HIMSELF through what Jesus accomplished on that cross!
That’s why Paul wrote it this way: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ...”
It is THROUGH the sacrificial, atonement suffering of Jesus on the cross that God does a double, incredible miracle for all of us. God put ALL my sin into the sin pile on Jesus, and then God took Jesus holiness and sinlessness and placed it on me!! It’s the great exchange of 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made HIM [Jesus Christ, God the Son] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Now we need to sit and really think deeply about that, and the ‘lessons learned’ study notes will help you do that, and a great worship song from Charity Gayle will help you thank Jesus for His blood, and tomorrow we’ll continue right here.
Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-19.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.